02 November 2021, 13:14
City Accessible to All: Are Local Authorities Open to Residents?

The work of local authorities should be as transparent as possible, and the decisions taken should be predictable. Providing unimpeded access to local authorities’ meetings for all citizens is one of the key features of transparent and accountable government. However, to what extent do Ukrainian cities meet the requirements of accessibility?

As part of the annual Transparency Ranking of 100 cities in Ukraine, the Transparent Cities program team investigates whether the public can participate in the City Council plenary sessions, coordinating body meetings of the City Council, standing commissions of the Council, executive committee of the City Council, etc.

Over the four years of the assessment, cities' results in meeting the requirements of the “Access and Participation” sphere have increased by 17%. In 2017, the rate was 46%; in 2020, it was 63%. However, the full participation of persons with impaired perception remains situational and is often implemented at the level of realization of individual practices.

On the positive side, some cities are implementing inclusive practices to engage people with hearing impairments in urban life. For example, broadcasts of City Council sessions in Mariupol and Sumy are accompanied by simultaneous sign language interpretation. To improve the perception of information in real time, all audio is interpreted into sign language.

Similar practices are implemented in other cities at the level of municipal services and enterprises. In particular, in Kharkiv, sign language interpretation is provided for visitors to the municipal hospital, and the City Council Informatization Program provides for this service in the executive bodies of the City Council and municipal enterprises until 2025. In Odesa and Ternopil, sign language interpretation services are provided for citizens at local Administrative Services Centers.

In addition, access to official websites of City Councils is being improved. According to the results of the accountability assessment of 50 Ukrainian cities in 2020, 16 City Councils provided versions of official websites for persons with visual impairments. Another 8 city councils provided such versions partially with limited functionality.

These practices are an example of the implementation of barrier-free information goals outlined in the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine's National Strategy for a Barrier-Free Environment in Ukraine for the period until 2030. The implementation of inclusive and barrier-free policies is also a direct international legal obligation of Ukraine, which has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Ukraine has committed to ensure access to public information to citizens with disabilities (Article 21).

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